


Bridging the Gap

by shewasjustagirl



Series: Bridging the Gap [1]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sexual Tension, Sharing a Bed, Tropetastic Tuesday, rhink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 06:37:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10565697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewasjustagirl/pseuds/shewasjustagirl
Summary: RandL can't keep their hands off each other. It becomes a problem when they're assigned a shared room at the Myth Ent ski retreat.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Tropetastic Tuesday #5: Forced bed sharing (with other people around)

The wall between them came down like a dam breaking. Everything they held back, everything they forced up against the wall, came rushing in. Decades of abstention, of writing off their intimacy as best friendship, washed away.

There were cracks in the wall; it was bound to crumble. Moments throughout their lives, when skin met skin, when lingering touches and glances interrupted the steady rhythm of their hearts, had chipped away at the carefully-constructed barrier.

In the end, it didn't take much to break it down. The weight of decades of longing tipped over with a single silly idea: they'd test an interface for kissing from afar. "Let's just keep the tradition of almost kissing, but never actually kissing, alive," Rhett had said.

He had no idea what he'd started. Neither of them was prepared for how much they'd long for Stevie's hands to transmit the feeling of the other's lips or how natural it would seem to imagine exchanging a quick peck when discussing carpool plans.

Afterwards, in an attempt to ease the tension, they teased each other about their kissing techniques. Link nudged Rhett's arm and wiggled his tongue. "Does this do it for you?"

"You tryin' to tell me you don't kiss with your tongue, Mr. Rolling Pin? Please."

Neither of them could explain what happened next or who initiated it. Rhett found himself pressed up against the door of their office, Link's hands in his hair. Their tongues explored each others mouths as Rhett pulled Link's waist in further, removing any distance that remained between them.

 

In the following weeks they felt decades younger. Each touch, each simple brush of a hand or connection at the knee under the GMM desk created a spark of electricity. They sought a constant connection, and behind closed doors they couldn't keep their hands off each other. 

They were sitting with their thighs and shoulders pressed together on the couch in their office, attempting to get some work done, when an email came through from Stevie.  
_All, attached is the agenda for the retreat (I promise it's mostly skiing and down time). There's also a layout of the lodge with rooms labeled. We planned out the bed situation ahead of time, so please don't complain._

A second email followed quickly, addressed only to Rhett and Link.  
_Hey guys, I hope you don't mind - you're sharing a bed. There just aren't enough spaces in the lodge to separate you. It's a room with two kings - Micah and John will be in the other._

They turned to each other with wide eyes, their minds racing. 

"We have to share a bed," Link breathed, his fingertips tapping on the sides of his laptop screen. 

"We have to share a _room_ ," Rhett added. He placed one hand tenderly on Link's thigh, splaying his fingers and urging it to stop shaking, and continued. "I think we have to...take care of some things before we go." Link's eyebrows shot up and Rhett licked his lips. "If not, I don't think I'll be able to just sleep." He searched the wide blue eyes and they smiled back at him. 

"Me neither."

 

They thought finally sleeping together, making love, finally tearing down the only barrier between them, would make it possible to keep their heads, to keep their hands off of one another for a weekend, to behave as if everything between them was as it had been for twenty years. 

They were wrong. 

Throughout the first evening at the lodge they forced themselves to mingle with the crew. That was the point of this outing - a reward for hard work and a chance to interact outside the office, to create camaraderie. But night soon fell, and with it came anticipation.

They had shared beds many times through the years, but this was different. The thought of the proximity, of being forbidden to touch, was overwhelming. They both felt like their skin was on fire, and avoiding each others eyes that evening only fanned the flame.

Strictly speaking, there was no reason for them to touch each other in this bed. Even Rhett's long frame, with a small adjustment of bent knees, fit comfortably on one side of a king bed. They breathed deeply, Rhett facing the wall and Link facing Rhett's back, neither of them able to sleep.

When Micah had been snoring for half an hour and John began murmuring softly in his sleep, Link reached out, gripping for Rhett's hand with his own and interlacing their fingers. Rhett tugged on the hand gently, and the bed emitted an incriminating squeak as the slender brunet pressed their bodies together. 

For what felt like hours they waited, paralyzed and breathing heavily against one another, until the sounds in the room once again began to show signs of sleep. Link's breath tickled the hair around Rhett's ears and at the back of his neck, and goosebumps formed on his arms.

Slowly, Link wrapped their entwined arms tighter around Rhett's waist. He leaned forward carefully, pressing soft kisses to the exposed neck. Rhett shuddered, biting his bottom lip to suppress the moan that was threatening to escape his chest.

Rhett heard the other man's breath catch in his throat as his large free hand reached back to grasp at dark brown hair. Link responded by nipping at the blond's ear with sharp teeth and licking over the red marks he left there.

"Link, we can't," Rhett murmured as quietly as he could manage, releasing a whimpering moan as Link guided their joined hands down Rhett's thigh, only just missing the sensitive bulge in his middle. 

"Shh." Link disentangled their fingers and dipped his hand into the larger man's waistband before moving his fingertips lightly up the bare chest and returning his mouth to the broad shoulders. Rhett got his revenge, reaching back to grip Link's small behind with one hand and choking out a repressed laugh when his fingers dug in and the brunet groaned loudly.

"Link," Rhett panted, "Shut up."

They stopped moving, listening once again for the sounds of sleep. Over their gasping breaths and the rush of their own heartbeats in their ears, they were unable to tell whether the other men were breathing naturally in what at this hour should be a deep sleep. 

Link returned his mouth to Rhett's ear and whispered as quietly as he could manage, "We can't stay in here. Come on."

As gingerly as they could, despite the creaking bed, they stood, tiptoeing toward the connected bathroom and the small amount of privacy it would afford them.

 

They awoke the next day, Rhett laid out straight on his side of the bed with his hands crossed on his chest and Link sprawled out with an arm and leg across the other man's long body. They had gotten away with it, they thought. Everything looked normal, and they chuckled at themselves, Rhett planting a quick kiss to Link's forehead when the other men left the room for breakfast.

But after lunch, their phones vibrated simultaneously, and they started, both reaching quickly for their devices. They'd received a text from Stevie: _Hey guys... one of the bedrooms has just one full bed. And a door.... Jen and I were in there because we're short. You two want to move over there tonight?"_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Your comments and kudos really do make my day <3
> 
> Come find me on [Tumblr](http://clemwasjustagirl.tumblr.com/) if you're into that kind of thing.


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